Gabapentin Withdrawal IMPORTANT

I'm very sorry to hear that, I've been off since the 20th of last month, still having issues with memory and dizziness.

Hi Jennifer. That may be too much at a time. The Ashton manual recommends 10% every 2-3 weeks at most and when you get down to the last bit, some make 5% cuts.  So instead of 300,300,600 you would take 270, 270, 540. Or you could start with just cutting the first dose on the first day (270, 300,600) and then maybe if that goes okay, cut the next dose the next day or a few days after that (270, 270, 600) or something like that.  Then after a day or two you are at 270, 270, 540).  Hold this for at least 3 weeks before you make another change.   You can adjust to meet your needs, but the main thing is go PAINFULLY slow. It could take many months or a year, but then you prevent a lot of side effects.  I am told that you can get gabapentin in liquid form, so you could measure it out and if not, you can crush the pills and put in water or milk and do it that way.  I have not done that, but I am told that many have.  Just be very careful.  This is not a medicine to mess around with, but you can prevent most of the withdrawal if you get off at a snail's pace. 

Thank you so much for the advise I will try it.

Oh goodness I hope it passes soon for you.

I should probably clarify that the next dose down would be 240, 240, 480.  (You don't have to take 10% of 270 and make it 27 -- 243.)  You'd just do 30mg cut and 60mg cut as long as you can tolerate it and then probably when you get down to the last 100mg or 75mg or around there, you could try taking less than 30mg -- maybe even 15mg (unless you can tolerate the 30mg).  It just depends on what you can tolerate. 

jennifer check out my video i posted on youtube type in gabapentin withdrawal that is how the emergency room doctor told me to do it and it worked perfect the ativan will most definately help with all the withdrawal symptons once you take your last gabapentin pill you will go through withdrawals for two more weeks and thats why i say in the video that you have to continue taking the ativan for two more weeks after your last gabapentin pill and then after two weeks off gabapentin you can stop the ativan and after taking your last ativan pill you will be fine you just cant take ativan for more than one month and you have to taper off the ativan because you cant stay at 1mg of ativan for more than 7 days so long as you keep tapering off the ativan for 4 weeks and then stop taking ativan after 4 weeks it will work perfect good luck

Kirk's method may be a good one, i just know of people who have gotten addicted to benzos after only 10 days, but hopefully you wouldn't have a problem if you did that.  Probably it would be fine for most people. I just have heard to many horror stories about ativan, so I'm leary of it.

its not my method its the emergency room doctors method and iether you spend 4 weeks getting off gabapentin the way the emergency room doctor suggests or spend the rest of your life getting off gabapentin the choice is yours

Hi Jennifer. I guess I responded to Kirk instead of you. He suggested Ativan and that might work out good, it is just that I know of someone that got addicted to Ativan after only 10 days and a low dose and after tapering, still had a year's worth of symptoms.  It probably would be okay for most people, but the problem with benzos is that they are highly addictive and you never know how and when they will catch up to you.  And you can taper off one time and be okay and not be okay the next time.  After a couple of times it is called "kindling" and it doesn't work out as well, whereas you CAN come off of gabapentin without any symptoms if you come off slowly enough.  I know because I have done it both ways. Your brain needs time to make the adjustment, but if you are easy on your brain, it will be easy on you.

So what your saying is I'll stay in the suspended state of headaches and dizziness for life if I don't go back on the gabapentin? At some point the body should correct its self.

check out my video on youtube i explain that you taper down from 300mg gabapentin to 200mg gabapentin but what happens as you go down is you experience withdrawal symptoms and the ativan helps you through those withdrawal symptoms so after 2 weeks you finally stop taking gabapentin but since you will continue to go through withdrawals for 2 more weeks after you stop your last gabapentin you have to continue to taper off the ativan for 2 weeks while your no longer taking gabapentin the ativan helps you through those withdrawal symptoms goto youtube and type in gabapentin withdrawal and you will see me kirk nyman explaining what the emergency room doctor told me to do to taper off gabapentin basically you have to stop taking gabapentin at some point and when that point comes you will still be going through withdrawals for two more weeks after you take your last gabapentin pill and the withdrawals will be so bad that you will have to some way get through them so that your body after two weeks gets back to normal and during those two weeks ativan helps you through those two weeks of withdrawals but you have to taper off the ativan during those last two weeks because if you dont then your body will now become addicted to a new pill watch my video i explain it on a calendar so that you can see what i had to go through to get through the gabapentin withdrawals

I had hip replacement and was on this for 6 weeks 300mg first 2 weeks n then 600 mg for 2 weeks n then back to 300 again for 2 weeks always at night. I called pharmacist n he told me for one week to take one one night skip a night n do this for a week. I feel fine during day except for some depression n crying. But at night I can't sleep n feel anxious n terrible can't stand it.what should I do should I stop like pharmacist ssid. And why do I only feel like this at night

jackie what do you mean by cant sleep? because i stopped gabapentin and went three weeks with no sleep the way i see it if you can sleep then your fine just wait tell the withdrawals go away

I can't sleep terribly anxious feeling when I go to bed so I lay awake. My question was is the pharmacist advice gor weaning off correct. I barely took sn advil before this surgery so I sm thinking all these meds just messed with me. Never sgsin!

yes he is correct you have to taper off the gabapentin goto youtube and watch my video explaining how the emergency doctor told me to taper off gabapentin just type in gabapentin withdrawal and you will see me explaining what the emergency room doctor told me to do to taper off gabapentin

Thankyou

your welcome i knew i wasnt the only one having problems sleeping after stopping gabapentin

Is there anything to stop feeling dizzy?

I've been off for 41 days. Still having bouts with dizziness from time to time.

Neuro Endure Mini, a supplement, has made an exponential difference. I doubled the dose after two weeks as I am at about 200lbs.

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are you on gabapentin or off gabapentin?

Goodmorning I am off completely as of last saturday. My doctor called me in zanax I had to take 3 half of .5 and then one whole that night all same day. I did sleep and it helped with my tremors n anxiety feelings. I still had a hard time last night but not as bad I only took one n was able to get through night. I will never again take gabapentin. Horrible drug.Before surgery I never even liked taking an advil. So all these meds to me were horrible. I took the Tylenol never oxycodone after my surgery but was fine when I stopped I say beware of gabapentin, they say they don't even know what it does to the brain. Not cool!

Well done! I have something to look forward to. I am currently on 2700mg for peripheral neuropathy and Restless Leg syndrome. The problem I face is finding something else that works as well. I am still in pain and also take extended release Tramadol. Isn't life fun!

i felt exactly the same way i never had to take anything in all my life tell they injured me at work and i wanted nothing to do with gabapentin but no use in crying over spilled milk if you want you can check out my video i posted explaining how i got off gabapentin on youtube under gabapentin withdrawal same here never again will i ever take gabapentin

i dont know  but rick there down below this post looks like he knows